Athletic Bilbao vs Girona

Estadio San Mames is the venue as Athletic Bilbao and Girona go head-to-head in an exciting La Liga encounter.

Athletic Bilbao’s longest unbeaten streak in La Liga since 1985 (W7, D6) only tells half the story as the hosts endure a rough patch despite boasting the best active run in the division. Since squeezing past lower-league Logrones on penalties in Copa del Rey action earlier in 2025, Ernesto Valverde’s men have only won twice in seven competitive games (D2, L3), most recently sharing the spoils with Betis in Andalusia. That 2-2 stalemate heightened the pressure on ‘Los Leones,’ allowing fifth-placed Villarreal to close the gap to only four points pre-round. However, San Mames has been a source of joy for the Bilbao faithful this season, with the Basque giants only losing one league fixture at home (W6, D4). They had also won three successive top-flight games here before Leganes held them to a frustrating scoreless draw last time out. 

Meanwhile, Girona’s faltering bid to replicate last season’s historic top-four finish in La Liga may hinge on inflicting Bilbao’s second home league defeat this season as they trail their fourth-placed hosts by ten points before the kickoff! At the very least, they responded to back-to-back 2-1 league defeats with an identical home triumph against Las Palmas last weekend, giving themselves a chance to win consecutive league matches for only the fourth time this term. Playing on the road doesn’t bode well, considering Michel’s men have claimed just one win across their last seven competitive away games (D1, L5) and have already lost more away league fixtures than in the entire 2023/24 (5).